kirtleypete

I've done the artwork for the NER valence on the canopies outside the overall roof; although we're not intending to build them yet I like to have the parts I need ready in good time. They will be laser cut in white plastic. Meanwhile I've finished the glazing on the end roof and have begun weathering it. I need to do the inside but not until this is fully dry. The centre glazing is wider as on the real thing. We just need some chaps with brushes and buckets to wash them now! Peter

The signals will be colour lights, and there are an awful lot of them! Not my department I'm pleased to say. You're right about the pipes though, it's a good point that I hadn't thought of. Has anyone got a picture of them? Peter

My customer has been busy while I've been working on the roof; he has finished off the platforms, and has drilled the holes for the canopy supports outside the overall roof. The columns have been 3D printed, but the ones in the picture are being replaced by new ones the right height (!) and with the brackets incorporated. The positions of the holes were marked out on a sheet of Perspex which was laid over the platform surface for drilling. This allows all the marking to be done without damaging the platform - clever stuff. Peter

Wow! That picture is new to me - brilliant! I need to add half round strip along the centre line, which fortunately will be easy to do. May as well get it right! I'd better add that crack in the pane of glass too........... I love the idea of safely at work - flat caps all round unless you're the foreman! Peter

I've begun adding the glazing to the end section, but first I put on the slates along the sides: These pieces were just to see if what I'd planned was going to work. They are cut from 2mm plastic sheet. The triangular pieces have been glued in position. The glazed parts slope away from the centre and with the roof curved in two planes it makes an interesting challenge! I should finish and paint them tomorrow. We're only glazing four bays, after that it's going to be left open. Peter

When it's warm enough to play with it!! Peter

The last roof section I am doing had a ladder up the side to give access to the walkways from the roof of the station buildings. The blokes that worked up there must have been fit! I'll paint this part tomorrow, it's raining again and I have to do it outside. Peter

I've got to they stage when all four roof sections are clad and I'm fitting the walkways. To make sure they line up I've put three sections together on my bench in the garden. The end ones are done, and the middle on has been left alone until now. I have added the ends of the walkways on the middle section, which can then be taken inside to fill in the gaps. The walkway that crosses the roof has also been finished off. The two remaining sections have been sprayed with grey primer followed by a coat of dark grey. I'll leave this to harden off until tomorrow and then I can finish them off while the paint on the middle section dries. The end section then needs the glazing on the top to be added, the last job on this part. Peter.

There will only be glazing at the ends to allow the interior to be seen; with full glazing it would be pretty much hidden and an awful lot of work is going into it! The idea is that looking from the ends it will appear as though there is full glazing, especially from track level. Peter

I've almost finished the second section but need to order more materials for the walkways which I can't do until Tuesday. There was a walkway that went across the width of the roof here, connecting each of the longitudinal walkways....I'll be ordering railings to complete this. It's the ideal way to distract the eye from the join between the sections. I won't paint this part until it is fully finished. Peter

I've completed the first roof section with all the walkways in place. Three more to go! Peter

I buy mine from Stephen Webster Plastics Iain....they call it HIPS (High Impact Polystyrene Sheet) and it comes in various sizes, colours and thicknesses. I use the white in matt finish on both sides for ease of marking out. They deliver to your door, it's very convenient. I have no connection other than as a satisfied customer. The only thing they don't sell is the clear Polystyrene, so I get that from B&Q. Peter

No, he's leaving it to me to describe it as we progress, but over time I will cover the whole layout. The reason we haven't gone beyond the station area is that we haven't built the rest of it yet! Peter

I collected the four roof sections yesterday to bring home to finish them off, and while I was there I toned down the platform surfaces by misting on some Railmatch roof dirt from a spray can. It gets away from the blandness of all one uniform colour and blends in the edging stones with the surface. Only a very little paint, but a big improvement in appearance. Unfortunately the paint ran out before I got to the far end so it will need finishing off next time I visit, which should be to deliver four completed roof sections. Peter

We are going to build as much of the loco yards as we have room for, a project for later in the year. The plan is to have the station finished by the end of May all being well. Work is still ongoing on the loco yard baseboards though so there isn't much to photograph other than a hole! Peter

Christmas.....don't say that, we haven't had Summer yet! Here are some pictures taken today: We had all four roof sections in place for the first time. It looks like a very large seagull has landed on the Hotel chimney! This is the Leeman Road bridge with the platform installed behind it. The roof at this end is just resting on the columns, some of which we are going to move a little. The loco gives an idea of the proportions of the roof spans. Once the columns have been adjusted to give exactly the right position I will collect the roof sections to complete before starting work on the rest of the buildings. Because the roof sections all have to be removeable they can't fit together too tightly, so we are moving the columns to ease things a little, one of the things that only become apparent as the model develops. If the roof was going to be fixed in place they would have been perfectly placed. Peter

Thanks very much everyone; it is a real joint effort, I'm just the one posting the pictures. It's just nice to be getting on with it again after lockdown. Jonathan, there will be the occasional LMS loco, they did have a shed in York. We're hoping on Friday to have all four roof sections in place; not finished, but enough to make sure they fit. Watch this space! Peter

I've just got back after a day working on the layout. Most of the platforms are now complete, which really transforms the look of the station. I'll finish the rest on Friday. We put the two roof sections in place and they fitted well. The side walls are just standing loose at the moment as i need to do more work on them. The platforms at the other end of the station. The four holes on the platform surface show where the overall roof will end. The signal box is going to be a little further from the footbridge than it should be, but we rather expected that. Peter

I've finished the first two sections of the wall that supports the roof, and marked out the next two. I want to try these in place before I do any more to them as there will be structures backing on to them. Sorry about the bottle, it won't stand up on it's own! This is the platform side of each one. This is the other side. Happily where there are buildings I won't have to model all those buttresses. I have also put together the next section of the roof; these middle sections are less robust as they haven't got the end screens to support them. I'll be taking it all down on Wednesday to try in place, so more pictures then. Peter

It makes life much easier. I buy 2mm thick clear 'Aerial' polystyrene sheets from B&Q, about 5' x 2', perfect for platforms. By the way, if anyone would find the artwork for the edging stones useful e-mail me at peter.smith5547@gmail.com and I'll pass it on. I've got the artwork for 4mm and 7mm scales, with or without the white line. Peter

They certainly show why it's just as important to model the inside! Peter

To continue.......... Once the platforms were surfaced I was able to try the roof in place, and much to my relief it fitted perfectly, dropping straight onto the columns. The side walls are just resting in place as I need to take them home to finish off. It is beginning to look like York station. I wanted to make sure the side walls fitted before completing them. Happily, they did! I'll be going back next week to complete the platforms, Peter

I've had a very productive day today working on the layout, hugely enjoyable. The first job was the fix the brick side walls to the platforms, which I'd made in advance. My customer had ordered the laser cut 2mm MDF surfaces with the holes for the roof columns. When the MDF was glued in place I sprayed the surface with grey primer to seal it. The sections of platform not done in MDF were cut from 2mm clear plastic sheet; it is laid over the side walls and being clear it is possible to draw the shape with a felt pen before cutting it out. The spray can is standing on a piece of this surface, not fixed down. When the primer was dry I brushed on a coat of Tamiya medium grey acrylic paint. The edging stones were cut out, scored and folded ready to be stuck in place. The strips were cut between every other stone to allow them to curve. What a difference it makes having platforms!

I decided to complete a small section of the wall so my customer can see it tomorrow and give it the OK before I do the rest. This is the outside face which sits at baseboard level. This is the inside face which backs on to the platform. The brown line of stone is where the roof rests. I have also finished off the inside of the roof; with talk of train mounted cameras it all has to be finished properly. The 'pimples' will locate on the top of the columns. Peter

Unfortunately it isn't possible to put the roof on the side walls as one is 17mm deeper than the other.....one rests on the platform surface, the other at baseboard level. We'll be able to do that on Saturday. In the meantime I'm finishing the walls off, with the cap on the longer one still not finished. Peter